Electric switch



Nm W, NQHTN ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Feb. 2 1923 2 Sheets-Sham 2 INVENTOR.C//fforo/ /Vor/on Patented Nov. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT carica.

CLIFFORD NORTON, OF SOUTH ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB T0 GRAHAM INOR-`TON COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE. i

ELECTRIC SWITC Application led February 2, 1923. Serial No. 616,485.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CLIFFORD NoR'roN, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of South Oran e, in the county of Essex and State of Newersey, have inventedl certain new and useful Improvements in lElectricSwitches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention lrelates to electric switches andlmore particularly toswitches designed for use as interlock switches in connection withelevator door operating mechanisms and known in the art as Delectric'interlock switchesacting to revent operation of the elevator when theoor is open by opening 'a control circuit and maintaining said circuitin open position until the door is closed.

The switch is however alike applicable in other situations or conditionswhere it is desired t o control the operation of the mechanism bycontrolling the condition of an electric circuit to either cut olf thepower circuit orto govern the condition of a mechanical lock for themechanism.

One of the objects of my invention 1s to provide a simple and cheapconstruction affording a complete houslng of insulating material for thecontacting members of the switch aswell as to secure in general, ease ofassembly and dis-assembly, ltogether with accessibility of the parts.

A further object of my invention is to provide a simple and cheapconstruction of switch insuring the rupture of any arc following theopening of the circuit at the switch contacts.

Another object of the invention is to produce a simple and cheapconstruction of the mechanical elements of the switch whereby thecircuit may be opened or closed by the action of a suitableoperating'member or plunger.

A further ob'ect of the invention is to avoid the difficulty incident tothe operation of some forms of switch where one contact element makesrubbing contact with thel other element and in moving off said elementis liable to transfer an abraded conducting material on to anon-conducting or insulating surface, thereby tending to impair theinsulation of the two poles or members from one another when the circuitis opened.

Other objects and advantages of my inv -bers are mounted respectivelyvention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the' drawingsand following description.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a general side elevation' andpartial section ofa switch embodying my invention and applied to anelevator or otherdoor, the 0peration of which is to be controlled.

Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top view of the device. Fig. 4 is a cross-section on theline 4 4 Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a cross-section on the line 5-5 Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view `of the two sections of the mock ofinsulating material which carries the contacting members and, by itsconstruction, affords a complete housing of insulating materialtherefor.

1 indicates a base plate on which the parts of the switch are mounted,said base plate, when the switch is employed in connection with anelevator door, bein properly secured to brackets or arms 2 astened tothe door opening or frame 3 in an obvious and well-known manner.

4 4 indicate a pair of substantially parallel circuit closing membersadapted to be moved into and out of contact with one another for thepurpose of making and breaking the circuit. These circuit closing meminand completely housed by a block of insulating ma,- terial suitablyfastened in position upon the base 1. Said block is a bipartite orsectional block the two members or elements of which, indicatedrespectively at 5 5', are shown in perspective, separated from oneanother, in

ig. 6, the switch contacts or circuit closing members and other partsbeing, in this figure, removed therefrom.

The meeting line of the sections, when the parts are assembled complete,is indicated at 6 in the various figures, being shown as a double linemerely for the purpose of indicating a line of separation, although inpractice the two elements or sections would be firmly engaged with oneanother on the line of division when assembled. nach section of theblock consists preferably of some tough insulating material likebakelite or some variation of the same constructed for di-electricstrength. Any material, however, which can be readily machined or moldedinto the shape shown might be used.

The meeting faces of the blocks are provided with recess s for the twocontact elements 4 4 and are also so formed in their meeting faces as toafford a space for the operation of a reciprocating member or plunger 7which works in guideways formed in the meeting faces of the blocks allas will be presently described. vWhen forced into the space between thecontacting surfaces of said switch elements, the plunger acts toseparate them and cause a rupture of the circuit and maintain thecircuit in open condition by forming a barrier of insulating materialbetween them. Said plunger in the open position of the switch would be,in practice, raised or operated to substantially the position indicatediny dotted lines Fig. 1. Inthis position it forms an eii'ectualarcrupturing or preventing shield for the circuit closing members 4 4',thus insuring the rupture of any are that might follow the opening ofthe circuit. In order to act effectively in this way, the element 7 isso formed as to extend laterally to a considerable distance beyond theedges of the members 4 4. as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. The end thereoflocated above the contacting ends of the elements 4, when the switch isopened, also aids in this operation.

It will further be seen that the plunger 7 is of sufficient length toseparate the switch contact members 4 4 throughout their whole length.To accommodate the circuit closing members 4 4 and afford a space alsofor the Working of the plunger 7 the opposed or meeting faces of theinsulating block sections 5 5 are each provided with a groove or recessof the form indicated. The deeper or countersunk portion of the recess.the bottom of which is indicated at 8, affords a space for the mountingof the contact-elements 4 or 4 while nearer the edges or meeting facesof the blocks the recess is widened out to not only provide a space forthe work: ing of the plunger 7 but also to provide guideways for theplunger by the ,ledges 9 and the sides of the widened space or groove.Each element 4 4 may be preferably pivotally mounted near the bottom ofits recess upon a pin 10 extending from side to side of the blocksection through the countersunk portion of the groove or recess and eachis given a bias toward the other for the purpose of closing the circuitbv means of a suitable coiled or other spring 11` which is seated in asocket formed or countersunk in the bottom of the recess i'n which thecontact members move.

This construction of the pair of insulating blocks and manner ofmounting and guiding the parts therein ai'ords great strength,simplicity and ease of manufacture and also provides a ractical completeenclosure of solid insulating material around t-he Working parts oftheswitch members.

On the top of each block section and adjacent the upper end of thegroove in the face of the block a suitable binding post 12 is mountedfor attachment of flexible connections 13 leading down through therecesses to the back of the circuit closing members and electricallyunited therewith in any suitable way. Said binding posts 12 also serve,for attachment of the leading-in wires 14 which enter through an opening15 in the top of the casing. A free space is ai'orded by the casingabove the insulating blocks, as shown, for facilitating the making ofconnections after the switch has been installed. p

The complete encasing of the fswitch is effected by means of a cover`plate 16, the edges of which extend over the sides of the block andengage the back or base plate 1. To complete the insulation of the partsand decrease the fire hazard, a lining 17 of insulating material is alsoemployed, which rests upon a ledge provided around the edge or end ofthe block sections as shown. Any suitable means may be employed forsecuring the sections 5y 5 with their recessed faces in meetingrelation. The means shown consist of two sets of fastening bolts orscrews 18 passing through the insulating blocks and entering the baseplate. One pair serves also to hold the cover. Any means. however, maybe employed that will fasten the two sections firmly together in theposition indicated, in which, as will be seen, the block aifords acomplete, solid housing for the operating members of the switch.

In Fig. 1 the switch is shown in circuit closing condition. By raisingthe plunger or member 7 to the position indicated by the dotted line,the two members 4 4V will be forced apart at their contacting ends andbe insulated from one another by the interposed mass of insulation ofwhich the plunger 7 is composed. As will be seen, the plunger rubsagainst the contacting surfaces and aids in keeping the same clean. Thecontacts also will have a slight rubbing motion upon one another, thusaiding in this result. This rubbing action is due to the fact that thetwo contact elements are independently spring-actuated and that theywill not move to exactly the same extent in the operation of opening andclosing the circuit.

The upper ends of the contact elementsl 4 4 may be inclined inwardly toform inclined planes against which the upper edges of the plunger 7engage with the etliect of multiplying the movement of the elements inopening circuit, thereby insuring a rapid or quick break.

The plunger' itself may be made of bakesaid contact members.

lite or other suitable insulating material.

When applied to an elevatordoor, the lower end of the plunger may bepivotal'ly connected by a link 20 with the lever 21 of the dooroperating. mechanism, said lever itself being pivoted to the bracket 22vextending from the side of the door opening and being also connectedwith the door itself in the usual way, so that when the door is openedby the operator, the lever 2l, through the link 20, will' raise the openthe control circuit o the elevator. The connection between the link 20and the lever 21 is, as shown more particularly in Fig. 2, by means of apin extending laterally through the lever 22 and adapted to rocktherein, while a threaded end of" the link passes through an extensionof the pin andis secured to and longitudinally adjustable therein bymeans of suitable nuts engaging the threaded portion.

In the position of the parts shown, the door is closed and the controlcircuit being closed, the elevator may be operated in the usual way. Thelink 20 and the lever 21 may be connected by means, as indicated, whichwill permit the time of closing or breaking of the circuit to beadjusted for different positions of the door.

It will be seen that in my improved construction-of switch, any arc thatmightfollow the rupture of circuit will be a horizontal are and owing-tothe fact that all the conducting lprtions of` the switch members arebelow t will be no tendency of the arc to eat its way downward'into thespace between the contacts, the natural action of an arc being torupture. itself in an upward direction. Furthermore the immediaterupture of the arc is expedited by the interposition of the mass ofinsulating material composing the block or plunger?? in the space abovethe point of contact where t e arc 'would naturally form.A Furthermore,the arc is revented from eating its way downwardly y widening of, thespace between ythe contact arms as shown below the `point Where theymake contact with one another'to' close the circuit. -While, moreover,the plunger itself at all times interpo'ses a. solid massof 4insulatingmaterialI operating` as a shield against arcing through the whole lengthofl What I claim as my invention is 1. In an electric switch, abipartite or sectional contact carrying block of insulating materialhaving recessed to form a s ace completely enclosed by insulatingmaterlal -when the sections are held in meeting relation, `twocontacting members.secured directlyI to said blocks re- I.spectively andworking in s aid recess, said' members having a.V biasvtending4 to closethe circuit and4 a circuit .breaking member conlunger 7 and4 e locationof the arc there y working in guideways formed 1n vof I recess nearer`the meetln a face of each section 'terial for said' contactsmembe 7..Inan velectric switch, a 'sectional' block of insulating mat'f'il'fial thesisting of a plunger of insulating materialv working in guideways formedin the recessed meeting faces of said blocks and adapted to I .i

mounted in the countersunk porti-ons of said ycombined with circuitclosing members f grooves and a circuit breaking member of insulatingmaterial working in guides formed by the wider portion of said grooves.

4. In an electric switch, a sectional or bipartiteblock of insulatingmaterial having recesses formed in the meeting faces of each section toprovide guideways for the operating member of the switch working in saidn.

recesses, said faces being also countersunk at the bottom of saidrecesses'to afford spaces for two switch lcontact members mountedrespectively therein and adapted to make contact with one another in thespace between the meeting faces. i

5. Inan electric switch, the combination of two complemental blocks ofinsulating material each provided with a countersunk recess in itsopposed or meeting face, means for securing the blocks in meetingrelation, pivoted circuit closing members mounted respectivelyon'pintles extendingtransversely through the countersink, said membersbeing adapted to contactwith one-another to close the circuit .and acircuit breaking member consisting of a body of insulatin the portionface and material adapted to force said circuit c osing members apart.

6. In lan electric switch, a bipartite or -1 sectional contact carryingblocks of insulating material, said blocks having recesses in theiropposed facesformed with guideways for the operating member of theswitch and countersunk recesses at the bottom of the guidin recesseshaving mounted in them av pair o pivotal contact members normallyengaged, coiled, springs in sockets at the tom of said eountersunkrecesses and engag i eldi'ng said blocks meeting relation to provide bytheir recessed faces vafcomplete housing of insulating anabipartite orsections 'of which areformed respectively blocks near their meetingfaces and flexible connections leading from the same through `thecountersunk portion of the recesses and attached to said pivoted contactmembers respectively.

8. In an electric switch, a sectional contact carrying block ofinsulating material having its sections formed to provide, when thesections are secured together, a recess having guideways for anoperating member reciprocating on the meeting line of the sections and anarrower countersunk recess back of the guiding portion in which membersof .the switch contacting with one another may be respectively mountedwith the operating member interposed between them.

ber into a space for an operating member oi.

the switch, and each providedaround its end with a ledge Afor engagementby a sheet of insulating material extending beyond the block.

10. The combination of a reciprocating plunger of insulating material, apair of normally closed switch contact members arranged in position tobe separated and to open the circuit by the interposition of theplunger, a link pivotally connected to said plunger, anoperatinglevegapin or stud adapted to rock in said lever and having a lateral extensionand nuts engaging the threaded end of the link and disposed at oppositesides of said extension.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,this 1st day of February, A. D. 1923.

CLIFFORD NORTON.

